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Real Salt Lake News | Deseret Newsen-usCopyright 2018, Deseret News Publishing CompanyThu, 24 May 2018 00:00:01 MDTThu, 24 May 2018 12:49:11 MDTNewspapershttps://cyber.harvard.edu/rss/rss.htmlUtah Royals FC using Rio Tinto Stadium's elevation to its advantage at home and on the roadhttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698539/Utah-Royals-FC-using-Rio-Tinto-Stadiums-elevation-to-its-advantage-at-home-and-on-the-road.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698539/Utah-Royals-FC-using-Rio-Tinto-Stadiums-elevation-to-its-advantage-at-home-and-on-the-road.htmlRyan McDonaldURFC head coach Laura Harvey feels that playing at a high altitude in Utah not only helps at home, but will allow her players...
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SANDY — Before Utah Royals FC faced the Orlando Pride at Rio Tinto Stadium on May 9, a story on the Pride’s team website made special mention of the fact that the game would be played at an altitude of 4,436 feet.

While countless athletes over the years have noted the challenge of competing at a high altitude in the Beehive State, URFC has arguably even more of an advantage over its opposition than teams and players in other leagues that stop here. That’s because Sandy has far and away the highest elevation of any of the nine cities that host National Women’s Soccer League teams.

How big is the disparity? The next closest elevation in the league is Chicago, which is just over 600 feet above sea level. Four of the nine cities in the NWSL have an elevation of less than 100 feet.

For comparison’s sake, while Salt Lake City has the second-highest elevation of any NBA city behind only Denver, about a third of the league has a higher elevation than Chicago, making the adjustment to Utah not quite so drastic.

After that game May 9, URFC captain Becky Sauerbrunn noted that the Pride looked tired down the stretch and that “the altitude might have hit them a little bit in the second half.” Then last Saturday after Sauerbrunn and company beat the Houston Dash 1-0 to finish off a four-game homestand, striker Amy Rodriguez said, “as the game carried on, they got tired and there were a lot more pockets, a lot more holes. You could see it in the last 15 minutes. We really had a lot more chances.”

While Rodriguez acknowledged she hasn’t asked opponents specifically if the altitude is affecting them negatively, she said, “I can only assume that it is definitely a challenge. I know for us who live in this environment it can be a challenge at times, so I think that we use that to our advantage when we can, and hope that we can have a benefit as a home side of living here and experiencing the altitude and whatnot.”

Although URFC won’t play at home again until June 27, head coach Laura Harvey has a theory that her team will be more fit over its next four road games because its home is at a higher altitude.

One big proof the former coach of the Seattle Reign has of the theory comes, perhaps ironically, thanks to Orlando. Going there for the season-opener on March 24, Harvey was a little nervous about her squad’s fitness level given the short preseason it had, but she said last weekend, “I’ve never had a group that’s been able to run like that in Orlando ever.

"Being from the West Coast and going there is always really hard, so I think training at altitude and going east or west I think is going to give us a little bit of a physical advantage. Doesn’t matter if we don’t pass and keep the ball, but I think we can go and put a lot of teams under pressure and really defensively work really hard because we’ve had a long stretch here now where we’ve worked really hard in our training.”

Said Rodriguez: “I think when we play out of here, we’ll really get the feeling of whether or not the altitude does affect us, and hopefully we’ll be in better shape now when we go to another home field.”

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Tue, 22 May 2018 12:08:00 MDTRSL player ratings: Damir Kreilach is the man of the match in 4-1 loss to Philadelphia Unionhttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698513/RSL-player-ratings-Damir-Kreilach-is-the-man-of-the-match-in-4-1-loss-to-Philadelphia-Union.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698513/RSL-player-ratings-Damir-Kreilach-is-the-man-of-the-match-in-4-1-loss-to-Philadelphia-Union.htmlStill looking for its first win of season on the road, RSL traveled to take on the Union. Early in the match, Real looked to...
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Coming off a home win last week, the Claret and Cobalt traveled to Philadelphia for a Saturday evening match. With RSL still looking for its first three points on the road this season, the visiting team got a great 10th-minute shot from Brooks Lennon, but Union goalkeeper Andre Blake deflected it. From that point on, it was all Union. Goals scored by the Union happened in the 21st, 34th, 74th and 81st minute, and Real could only counter with a 65th-minute goal by Damir Kreilach. The 4-1 victory by Philadelphia was the most goals scored in one match by the Union this season.

Nick Rimando (6) — The only MLS goalkeeper with 200 wins had six saves on the evening. The Union ran the back line ragged all night, but Rimando mis-timed Keegan Rosenberry's strike in the 81st minute, resulting in the Union's fourth goal of the night.

Pablo Ruiz (4) — In the 21st minute, Ruiz got caught ball watching and allowed Marcus Epps to pounce on an easy cross. In the 34th minute, Ruiz was too far up field and left his defenders out to dry. A yellow card in the 87th minute epitomized his evening.

Marcelo Silva (5.5) — It was great to have Silva back in the lineup. He definitely was rusty, but hopefully his presence in the back will invigorate the defensive third in matches to come.

Justen Glad (5.5) — The staple of the defensive back field has talent. His leadership will come, but it will take time. Not enough marking up and too much miscommunication by Glad and the other backfield crew was RSL's demise.

Adam Henley (4.5) — Henley struggled so much in his match that coach Mike Petke pulled him at halftime. There were countless opportunities, as the Union seemed to get by Henley at will.

Damir Kreilach (7.5) — One of the few bright spots on the evening was Kreilach. He scored RSL's only goal, off of a great ball by Sebastian Saucedo. With the attacking third struggling to score on the road, maybe Kreilach can find some consistency.

Albert Rusnák (6.5) — Rusnák was his normal, creative self on the pitch, but it was curious that he did not take a shot. He usually has been reliable to distribute and strike.

Kyle Beckerman (6) — Beckerman and the midfield lost the ball possession battle. Even though the separation was only 53/47, those extra possessions were ones that the Union capitalized on.

Brooks Lennon (6.5) — Lennon's 10th-minute strike was a beauty, and confirms that Lennon needs to stay forward instead of in the defensive third. Even though he did not score, he was the best attacking third player hands down.

Corey Baird (5.5) — Baird struggled to find his footing against the Union. He took three shots, but none found the back of the net. Not playing next to Joao Plata, who was injured, may have had something to do with it.

Jefferson Savarino (6) — Savarino has games like this, where he disappears, and others where he makes his mark. We all have to remember that he is only 21 years old.

Substitutes:

Sebastian Saucedo (7) — Saucedo subbed in for Adam Henley in the 46th minute. The impact Saucedo had on the pitch was easy to see. His 65th-minute assist on Kreilach's goal was a beauty, and Saucedo had four shot attempts. It will be hard for Petke to not play him more.

Nick Besler (5.5) — In the 76th minute, Besler entered the match for Silva. Besler played the last 14 minutes with energy and drive, even though Real allowed another goal.

Shane Reinhard is a graduate of Weber State University and a teacher and coach at St. Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden, Utah. Email: sreinhard@stjosephutah.com. Follow on Twitter @hoopsters12.

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Sun, 20 May 2018 14:00:00 MDTReal Salt Lake's road struggles continue, this time falling to Philadelphia Union for first timehttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698506/Real-Salt-Lakes-road-struggles-continue-this-time-falling-to-Philadelphia-Union-for-first-time.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698506/Real-Salt-Lakes-road-struggles-continue-this-time-falling-to-Philadelphia-Union-for-first-time.htmlMarcus Epps and Borek Dockal scored in the first half and the Philadelphia Union added two more in the second to beat Real...
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CHESTER, Pa. — Speed kills.

Not exactly breaking news, but as Real Salt Lake discovered here on the banks of the Schuylkill River in suburban Philadelphia a surefire recipe for disaster.

Having trekked all the way here to face a struggling Philadelphia Union team that had recently gone 251 minutes between goals, this seemed a ripe opportunity for RSL to potentially snap its own string of futility. Not since Aug. 13, a span of 10 games, has RSL left a visiting pitch happy.

But if they thought this would be the night, it didn’t take long to realize otherwise in a 4-1 loss that could’ve been even worse. Time and again the Union attacked down the wings, sending its midfielders on long runs past helpless RSL defenders. Time and again RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando — fresh off earning his 200th MLS win last week — was forced to charge out to try to beat them to the ball.

When he decided to lay back, the Union charged in waves, forcing Rimando to make a series of point-blank stops. But he couldn’t reach them all, as Philadelphia used its speed to score first-half goals 13 minutes apart by Marcus Epps and Borek Dockal. Then after Damir Kreilach gave Real Salt Lake some life early in the second half, Philadelphia responded with goals by Ilsinho and Keegan Rosenberry within a seven-minute span to break it open enroute to its first-ever win over RSL in 11 tries.

While some might say his entire team should spend the next few days on the sports psychiatrist’s couch, 4-6-1 RSL coach Mike Petke says the answer is plain and simple. “Right now it’s who we are,” said Petke, whose homecoming of sorts — he’s from Long Island and has a summer home in Red Bank, New Jersey — didn’t go quite as planned. “We win big at home and lose big on the road.

“They’re one of the better possession teams in the league, but they’ve been a bit unlucky. Tonight they weren’t.

“I’m surprised to see that many goals go in, but what’s the difference between a 1-0 loss and 4-1 loss? It’s still a loss.”

Some of that is as much attributable to what’s going through their heads as much as their feet.

“You’ve got to have the right mentality, for sure, on the road,” said Rimando, who kept his team within striking distance with some brilliant stops among his six saves, but got little support.

“The fight needs to be there," Rimando added. "We’ve got to give ourselves a chance. Right now it feels like there’s lot for us to handle.”

If it’s any consolation they’re not alone. The 4-5-2 Union, in fact, went nearly a calendar year between road wins, finally tasting victory last week in Montreal.

“It’s tough,” said veteran midfielder Kyle Beckerman. “Because if you look around the league, not too many teams do well on the road. But we weren’t going to sit back. And we had some chances early but he (Union keeper Andre Blake) made the saves. Then when it got to 2-1, the game was really wide open. They finished their chances and we didn’t.

”That’s the way the game is on the road.”

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Sat, 19 May 2018 20:05:00 MDTErika Tymrak steps into starting role for Utah Royals FC, provides goal in 1-0 win over Houston Dashhttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698504/Erika-Tymrak-steps-into-starting-role-for-Utah-Royals-FC-provides-goal-in-1-0-win-over-Houston-Dash.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698504/Erika-Tymrak-steps-into-starting-role-for-Utah-Royals-FC-provides-goal-in-1-0-win-over-Houston-Dash.htmlRyan McDonaldReplacing the injured Kelley O'Hara in the starting lineup, Tymrak's 51st-minute goal was the difference-maker on Saturday at...
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SANDY — Coming into Saturday afternoon’s match between Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash at Rio Tinto Stadium, one of the key questions for the home side was how it would compensate for the absence of U.S. Women’s National Team stalwart Kelley O’Hara, who was out because of a right hamstring strain.

As it turned out, it was Erika Tymrak’s chance to prove the old concept true of the importance of always staying ready.

Tymrak, who has been a regular substitute for URFC but never gotten in head coach Laura Harvey’s starting lineup, replaced O’Hara and her goal in the 51st minute was the difference-maker as URFC closed a four-game homestand with a 1-0 victory over the Dash in front of 8,323 fans.

“When we knew Kelley couldn’t play, I knew very early that I thought this game could be one for Erika,” Harvey said afterward. “She’s worked really hard in training. Today’s game was about how good we could be on the ball, and I know that that’s Erika’s game. Finding the pockets of space in between back line and midfield is where she’s at her best.”

After a first half in which URFC dominated every statistic but couldn’t find the net, midfielder Gunny Jonsdottir won the ball in the home side’s defending third early in the second frame.

With the way Houston defends by not pressing, Jonsdottir had open space down the right side of the field before getting marked as she approached the 18-yard box. She had the chance to pass to Amy Rodriguez at the top of the box with Tymrak to her left, but instead of receiving the ball, Rodriguez let it go toward Tymrak.

https://twitter.com/UtahRoyalsFC/status/997946707676614657

A defender was to Tymrak's right with Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell hugging the right side of the net, but with her left side open, Tymrak received the ball with her right foot and immediately sent it toward the bottom left corner of the net where Campbell couldn’t get to it.

“Honestly, she’s just the type of player that’s going to attract so many defenders and the attention, which was great because it kind of left me open,” Tymrak said of Rodriguez. “Honestly we practice finishing so much in practice, I think it was kind of she knew that she couldn’t get the best shot off and left it for me.”

Harvey added that Rodriguez’s decision to bypass the shot to give Tymrak a crack at it was “world class. Amy Rodriguez is world class. I don’t think she believes that not many people would do that, but not many people would do that.”

Tymrak acknowledged that it’s been challenging for her to be primarily a sub through the first third of the season, which made getting the goal sweeter.

“I came on, and I just wanted to help the team out, and it felt great getting a goal, but I really think that the team played awesome,” she said. “We played 90 minutes of good football, and we can’t ask for much more than that.”

https://twitter.com/UtahRoyalsFC/status/998015455007653888

Indeed, URFC outshot the Dash 18-7 (including a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal) and finished with nearly 64 percent of the possession. The afternoon also marked URFC’s third consecutive clean sheet and fourth overall through eight matches.

“They have a very pacey front line, and we knew that they were going to hurt us on a counter if we gave them any time or space, so that was really one of our big goals,” midfielder Desiree Scott said. “Really just not giving them any momentum going forward, and I think that was just a focus all week, and we definitely brought it today and contained them, which is awesome.”

URFC will now play four consecutive road games before returning home for a June 27 matchup against the Seattle Reign.

First up is a date next Friday against the Portland Thorns.

“I think (the win) gives us really momentum not only from a three points standpoint, but as just playing really, really good soccer,” Tymrak said. “We’re excited to head to Portland. It’s a really fun place to play, and hopefully we can bring home three points.”

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misidentified Utah Royals FC forward Amy Rodriguez as Houston Dash midfielder Claire Falknor in a photo caption.

Under the 40-year agreement, the RSL Youth Academy Foundation will lease 6 acres from the university at 475 N. Mill Road for $1 a year. The foundation will then construct an indoor soccer facility on the parcel, which has been appraised at approximately $2.6 million.

The facility will include a field, locker rooms and offices, and will be shared by the foundation and Utah Valley University.

RSL Youth Academy Foundation will also make a $2.6 million donation to the UVU Foundation with the stipulation that the gift be used to build soccer fields on land adjacent to the indoor soccer facility, acquire bleachers and other "soccer-related" improvements.

The "nontraditional agreement" was approved Friday by the Utah State Board of Regents during its monthly meeting at Salt Lake Community College. The UVU board of trustees approved the agreement earlier this year.

"This is a very good public-private partnership between RSL Academy and the university. It allows the institution's men's and women's soccer teams to have an indoor facility, while at the same time RSL Academy (will be) able to train future soccer athletes in the state," said Val L. Peterson, UVU's vice president of finance and administration.

The indoor practice facility "needs to be constructed by July 2019, so they'll be moving forward fairly rapidly," Peterson said. The academy foundation will operate and maintain the facility, with the exception of snow removal, which UVU will address, he said.

The agreement also covers use of the facilities. UVU will have access to indoor facility from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and share use of the outdoor fields, Peterson said.

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Fri, 18 May 2018 18:27:00 MDTUtah Royals FC to face former Alta High star Kealia Ohai for first time in rematch vs. Houston Dashhttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698474/Utah-Royals-FC-to-face-former-Alta-High-star-Kealia-Ohai-for-first-time-in-rematch-vs-Houston-Dash.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698474/Utah-Royals-FC-to-face-former-Alta-High-star-Kealia-Ohai-for-first-time-in-rematch-vs-Houston-Dash.htmlRyan McDonaldThe two teams have already played once this season, a 0-0 draw March 30 in Houston.
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SANDY — The first matchup between Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash in the second game of the season provided quite the statistical anomaly.

In URFC’s six other contests thus far, it has averaged 433.5 passes per game, but it produced a whopping 669 passes against the Dash as much of the evening’s action took place in the middle third of the field, ending in a 0-0 draw.

As they get ready for a rematch Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium, both teams have become considerably more dynamic since that Mar. 30 showdown. URFC has gotten Amy Rodriguez back from injury and Katrina Gorry has arrived from international duty with Australia, and the club has scored five goals in its last four matches.

Houston, on the other hand, has a completely different front line. Most notably, team captain, former Alta High School star and current United States Women’s National Team member Kealia Ohai made her season debut Apr. 24 after tearing her ACL last summer, while England’s Rachel Daly is leading the squad with two goals thus far.

“Obviously I haven’t played Houston, but I think we’ve really been progressing in the right direction the last few games of playing the ball around nicely and we’re creating more chances in the front third,” Gorry said earlier this week, “so I think if we keep doing that, our defense has been pretty strong and if we score a few more goals we’ll be fine.”

URFC is well-rested having not played since May 9, although the time off wasn’t enough to get Kelley O’Hara healthy after she re-aggravated the injury that has been bothering her since the season opener.

It is officially listed as a right hamstring strain, although URFC head coach Laura Harvey said it could be something more complicated than that, and the hope is that sitting her will allow the injury to heal before it gets even worse.

“She’s tough and she wants to play and she wants to play through stuff, but it’s also, at some point, bad things may happen, and this may have been the little nick that we all needed to say, ‘Let’s delve deeper into what’s going on so that we can make sure that she’s fine,’” Harvey said.

Beside O’Hara, Elise Thorsnes won’t play again for URFC because of a left hamstring strain that has kept her out for the last three matches.

While both teams’ personnel is different from their March game, Harvey predicted that Saturday will look similar to the previous matchup, although she expects the Dash’s counter-attack to be more potent.

“We know we’ve got to be prepared that when we have the ball, arguably Houston are the most dangerous because they try and turn you very quickly from your attack into them attacking,” she said. “That’s how they’ve scored their goals recently. We’re prepared for that. We know that.”

Harvey said the Dash’s style fits well into the way Ohai likes to play.

“When she can get (one-on-one) and get at someone is where I think she feels most confident,” the coach said. “We know that about her.”

As the NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime, start time is set for 1:30 p.m. MT. The match will conclude a four-game homestand for URFC before it plays four straight on the road.

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Fri, 18 May 2018 17:25:00 MDTReal Salt Lake hoping to shed road woes in Philadelphia against the Unionhttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698472/Real-Salt-Lake-hoping-to-shed-road-woes-in-Philadelphia-against-the-Union.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698472/Real-Salt-Lake-hoping-to-shed-road-woes-in-Philadelphia-against-the-Union.htmlJames EdwardReal Salt Lake has last four straight road games, a streak it hopes to put an end to this Saturday when it visits Philadelphia.
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Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke is in a bit of a conundrum.

He wants to play attacking soccer, he wants to push the pace and dictate games home and away. RSL has been partially successful with that approach the past two road games and has arguably been the better team in the opening 60 minutes at Vancouver and Orlando.

Problem is, games are 90 minutes and RSL was outplayed in the latter stages of both matches — perhaps because of fatigue — and lost both by multiple goals.

In fact, Real Salt Lake has lost its last four road games by multiple goals. Repeatedly coming up empty away from Rio Tinto Stadium is preventing the club from making a jump up the Western Conference standings despite a four-game winning streak at home.

As Real Salt Lake travels to fellow middle-of-the-table-foe Philadelphia this Saturday (5:30 p.m., KMYU), perhaps a conservative approach could help it return with at least a point in its back pocket.

“Looking forward to Philadelphia this week, there could be a tactical approach based around defense,” said Petke. “The way that I’ve wanted to play since I came in here is very attack minded. It’s kind of balancing that fine line of going away from my principles of how I want to play as opposed to going in and saying ‘we’re on the road and I want to get a result.”

Real Salt Lake’s last road victory was back on Aug. 13, and it’s 0-7-2 in the nine games since.

Petke acknowledges RSL’s youthful backline, with several players playing out of position, has contributed to some of the goals against them. Unless Marcelo Silva returns to the lineup at center back, Petke will likely trot out another youthful defense.

Brooks Lennon believes strides are being made defensively even in the losses.

“We just need to build on the performances on the road and try and pick up points,” he said. “I think we’ve been playing well in those games, sometimes we might be switched off, and you can’t be switched off on the road.”

In particular, you can’t be switched off when committing numbers forward, which might get a little tweak this weekend.

Or, Petke will continue to ask his players to push the pace on the road and hope they’ve learned from previous mistakes enough to grind out an elusive road result.

The mentality of the group could impact Petke’s decision to keep the approach status quo.

“I think the confidence throughout the whole team right now is really high. Even though we picked up some losses on the road, the performances were there, the work ethic and commitment in trying to pick up points was there,” he said.

RSL will likely be without Joao Plata for Saturday’s game after he left last week’s game with what the team described as an undisclosed injury. He’s listed as questionable on the injury report.

Petke has options for plugging that hole. Last weekend when Plata had to be subbed off in the first half Petke moved Pablo Ruiz up into Plata’s spot and inserted Adam Henley backline against 10-man D.C. United.

With a week to prepare, he might elect to slide Corey Baird into Plata’s spot to get Luis Silva back in the starting lineup. After all, Silva started six of the first seven matches this season before picking up an injury against Colorado on April 21. Silva’s played 11 minutes as a sub in each of the past two games.

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Fri, 18 May 2018 12:55:00 MDT'Our bite is strong' — Utah Royals FC's midfield makes up for small stature with competitivenesshttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698417/Our-bite-is-strong-2-Utah-Royals-FCs-midfield-makes-up-for-small-stature-with-competitiveness.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698417/Our-bite-is-strong-2-Utah-Royals-FCs-midfield-makes-up-for-small-stature-with-competitiveness.htmlRyan McDonaldRoyals head coach Laura Harvey praised the group after its last match against the Orlando Pride, saying it dominated the...
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SANDY — Nearly a third of the way through the National Women’s Soccer League’s regular season, much of the conversation surrounding Utah Royals FC has centered on the strength of the back line and the struggles of the players up front to provide much scoring punch.

Last week after URFC played to a 0-0 draw against the Orlando Pride at Rio Tinto Stadium, head coach Laura Harvey made special note of the players in the center of the pitch who have to be concerned with both defense and offense. She said they dominated in the second half.

The primary midfield group, consisting of Gunny Jonsdottir, Katrina “Mini” Gorry and Desiree Scott, is smaller than most around the league. They are 5-foot-5, 5-1 and 5--3, respectively, but make up for their lack of size with grit and toughness.

“You counter (lack of size) by the way that you play and the way that you compete, and I think that’s what both Mini and Desi do, is they compete in a different way, which I think you have to be able to do if you just don’t have that size to go with it,” Harvey said Tuesday after her team trained at America First Field.

The trio is still getting used to playing together. Jonsdottir started the season as a forward before Gorry arrived in April after competing for the Australian National Team, but the group has already started devising a system in which the taller Jonsdottir plays headers while the other two focus on trying to win balls.

“Our stature may be small but our bite is strong,” said Scott, who has the nickname of The Destroyer. “I think it’s just about the passion that you bring. We go out there and we just try and get stuck in and we put our bodies on the line. Our size doesn’t matter. I think we love to get in a good tackle, and we pride ourselves on that.”

In a sense, Scott serves as the stabilizing force of the midfield. More defensive-minded, her presence allows Jonsdottir and especially Gorry to get more involved in the attack.

“I think I’ve just had to come in and kind of adapt to a new playing style,” Gorry said. “Desi and Gunny have made it pretty easy to adapt to that. Just learning how they play and trying to play off them. Obviously they make it pretty easy just holding the line a little bit and letting me have a bit of a free run.”

Jonsdottir says the variety of skills the trio possess is giving them more versatility.

“I think we’re good at just balancing each other out,” she said. “We’ve got a really good blend. Of course it takes a couple games, but I feel like we’re getting better and better in each game.”

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Wed, 16 May 2018 09:45:00 MDTCorey Baird making the most of his opportunity with Real Salt Lakehttps://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698364/Corey-Baird-making-the-most-of-his-opportunity-with-Real-Salt-Lake.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865698364/Corey-Baird-making-the-most-of-his-opportunity-with-Real-Salt-Lake.htmlJames EdwardCorey Baird scored in his second straight game on Saturday as the rookie continues to impress with Real Salt Lake.
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SANDY — When Corey Baird signed a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake this past offseason after completing four successful years at Stanford, nobody knew exactly what type of contribution he’d make in 2018.

With a strong group of returning forwards from the previous season, not to mention the big signing of Spanish striker Alfredo Ortuno, it seemed Baird’s best path for playing time would come via the Real Monarchs.

Sure enough, Baird found himself in the starting lineup in the Real Monarchs season-opener back on March 24, and he even scored a goal in his professional debut. Six days later the rookie made his MLS debut at Toronto, coming on as a sub and scoring in the 82nd minute.

The opportunity was the result of injuries, but Baird made the most of it with a goal in his MLS debut. He hasn’t looked back since. Baird has started five of the last six matches for Real Salt Lake, scoring in the past two.

That includes the opening goal for Real Salt Lake in Saturday’s 3-2 win over D.C. United.

“It’s been an amazing run so far, I can’t say this is what I expected. I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the team, I just wanted to work hard. Given my opportunities right now, I just want to make the most of it and work as hard as possible,” said Baird.

He’s started the past three games at striker in place of injured Luis Silva, and said he’s getting more comfortable every game.

“I’ve been learning my role, what’s expected of me. It’s been nice to get a good run of games because then I can develop some chemistry. The goal today was the same ball Joao (Plata) played into me against Orlando,” said Baird.

His early success shouldn’t really come as a surprise. After playing one year with the Real Salt Lake Academy in Arizona in 2013, Baird moved onto Stanford, where he was a four-year starter. He scored 16 goals and added 28 assists during those four season, and was instrumental in leading the Cardinal to three straight NCAA titles.

That winning mentality has helped his game translate quickly to the professional level.

Baird credits David Horst with really encouraging and helping him throughout the preseason, and now that he’s getting minutes with the first team, he said Kyle Beckerman is really offering him words of encouragement.

Beckerman said teams must defend RSL differently when Baird is on the field.

“He’s not only scoring goals, he’s opening the defense because they have to respect his runs in behind. Once they start respecting his runs in behind, they drop off a little bit and then we can start to play underneath,” said Beckerman.

In Baird’s three starts at forward, Real Salt Lake has played its most confident soccer going forward. He’s made the most of his opportunity, and more starts are sure to come as a result.

After back-to-back road losses the past two weeks for Real Salt Lake, Rimando said his only focus against visiting D.C. United this weekend was three points.

RSL didn’t get off to the start it wanted on Saturday night against the last-place team from the Eastern Conference — and things even got a little scary late against 10-man D.C. United — but it eventually held on for the 3-2 victory as Rimando earned his milestone 200th victory in front of the home fans at Rio Tinto Stadium.

“It’s special for sure. I’ve got to give not just myself credit, but all the teammates that I’ve played with credit. I don’t win games by myself. Those guys out there today fought hard for me,” said Rimando. “To play this many years and to get to 200 is special.”

RSL got goals from Corey Baird, Albert Rusnak and Jefferson Savarino to secure its fourth straight home victory, which helped it vault back into fifth place in the West.

Rimando became the all-time wins leader in MLS back in 2016 when he won his 181st game, and, now that he’s reached 200 wins, it’s a record he won’t relinquish anytime soon. Seattle’s Stefan Frei is the only other active player in the top 10 in wins in MLS, and he’s well behind with just 83 wins.

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“To be a part of it with him, all the hard work that’s he’s put in, he really deserves it. He’s the best. Every time he plays, he’s breaking another record. It’s really cool to be a part of,” said RSL captain Kyle Beckerman, who’s been a part of about 75 percent of those wins with Rimando.

In losses the last couple of weeks at Vancouver and Orlando, RSL played well for most of the match but eventually conceded goals late in dropping its third and fourth straight games on the road.

Beckerman said the team talked ahead of the D.C. United game about playing well and then backing it up with a result.

“We were talking about it a bit before the game, see if we could take the positives from those games and actually get some points. It was just an important game to get points,” said Beckerman.

Ironically enough, RSL didn’t get off to the start it wanted when the visitors struck first for the first time at Rio Tinto Stadium this season.

Paul Arriola put D.C. United ahead 1-0 in the ninth minute as he volleyed a corner kick from Zoltan Stieber past Nick Rimando. Arriola was unmarked in the box after Pablo Ruiz failed to mark him up near the top of the box.

D.C. United nearly doubled its lead in the 20th minute as Stieber forced Rimando into a close-range save.

RSL immediately countered the other direction, with Joao Plata and Baird teaming up for a fantastic goal. Plata whipped in a cross from the left sideline, with Baird getting in behind D.C. United defender Joseph Mora and then heading the ball from the spot past keeper Steve Clark.

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In the 24th minute, Mora was then red-carded after the ref used video replay to determine that Mora intentionally stepped on the back of Savarino’s leg.

RSL immediately capitalized on the man advantage as Rusnak put Real Salt Lake ahead 2-1 by slotting home a shot through traffic after Brooks Lennon played a simple pass back to him.

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In a game against Colorado earlier this year, Colorado’s Tim Howard was sent off after video replay confirmed a handball outside of the box. After that game Petke joked that, “Big brother’s watching now, and you’re not going to get away with anything.”

Mora found that out the hard way on Saturday.

Early in the second half, Rusnak helped RSL tack on an insurance goal in the 56th minute as he played a through ball in behind D.C. United’s defense to Savarino, who finished 1v1 with the keeper for the 3-1 lead.

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Savarino’s goal proved to be the winner when D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum outjumped Lennon to a cross from Nick DeLeon in the 83rd minute and headed it past Rimando to whittle the lead to 3-2.

Despite being shorthanded, D.C. United put RSL’s defense on its heels late in the game as it pushed for an equalizer.

“Any coach, any team will tell you — maybe unless you’re Barcelona or one of those teams — it’s difficult playing against a team with 10 men because they obviously sit back and get in an organized block and make it difficult to penetrate. And D.C. is a team that’s very good in the counter, and they make you pay for it,” said Petke.

Rimando was ready for most of those D.C. United attacks as he made five saves to earn win No. 200.